Most provinces, territories saw economic declines in 2009.

OTTAWA – Manitoba and Yukon Territory were the only areas in Canada
not to see an economic decline in 2009, Statistics Canada reported Thursday.

Gross domestic product fell 2.5 per cent nationally, the federal agency
reported, and while some provinces and territories fared better than others,
almost all of them experienced a drop in exports, corporate profits and
business investment in things like residential and industrial structures and
machinery and equipment.

“The year was marked by lower demand and lower prices for many Canadian
products, particularly natural resources,” Statistics Canada said.

“Output in all major goods-producing industries was down in 2009. Growth in
service industries generally slowed.”

Manitoba’s economy did not grow or decline in 2009, as consumer and
government spending balanced out a decline in business investment. While the
province saw a decline in both imports and exports, imports fell more than
exports.

Yukon’s GDP actually grew in 2009 by 3.9 per cent as exports increased, as
did capital investment in machinery and equipment.

Economies in provinces that rely less on energy and exports fell less than
the national average, Statistics Canada said, and increased infrastructure
spending helped ease the recession’s impact as well.

Provinces in Atlantic Canada had some of the best and the worst economic
performances in the country last year, with Nova Scotia and Prince Edward
Island showing very slight declines thanks to spending growth, while
Newfoundland and Labrador, which is more dependent on natural resources, saw
its economic performance drop by 10.2 per cent – second only to the Northwest
Territories, which saw a decline of 11.2 per cent.